1968 Chevy Camaro Rear Suspension - Hot Links

It wasn't that long ago when the most you could do to improve the rear suspension on your Camaro was to bolt in a better set of leaf springs and some upgraded shocks. As they say, "that was then and this is now." Today the world is your oyster and you're faced with a dizzying array of choices. Some of these rear suspensions bolt in, while others live deep inside fabricationland where plasma cutters and welding implements are the rule rather than the exception.

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Total Cost Involved's new four-link rear suspension falls into the bolt-in category. Sure, if you want to use your existing 9-inch or 10-/12-bolt housing you'll need to weld brackets to the axle tubes, but they do offer pre-modified housings for those who would rather just sling wrenches. With the exception of the housing, the rest is plug-and-play. No floor mods are required, but you'll have to drill a few dozen holes. This makes sense since the rear suspension is under quite a bit of stress and needs to firmly integrate into the bottom of your Camaro.

As for how it works, we've seen their red 1968 Chevy Camaro with this system in action and, as far as performance goes, it was certainly able to throw down with the best of them. At our testing venue, the '68, on 220 treadwear Michelin Pilot Sport II tires, laid down 0.99 g on the skid pad and 49 mph though our 420-foot slalom. So you don't need to worry that these parts are all fluff and no substance. Installation isn't rocket science but, to give you an idea of what's involved, we decided to head over to TCI Engineering and put one in place.

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1968 Chevy Camaro Rear Suspension - Hot Links

Here's TCI Engineering's complete four-link system with the optional subframe connectors and driveshaft safety loop. The system ships in raw steel so you can powdercoat or paint it in your preferred color. The base system ($1,092) includes adjustable, unequal-length links, coilover crossmember, coilover shocks, and an adjustable Panhard rod. The system can be upgraded with a sway bar for an additional $270.

We were very impressed with the quality of the welds on the TCI Engineering parts. They are not only pretty, but the welds show great penetration. This is critical since these parts are subjected to a lot of stress.

The kit comes with brackets that need to be welded to the axle tubes of a 9-inch, 10-bolt, or 12-bolt housing. TCI Engineering also sells a Currie housing with all the brackets already stitched in place.

The unequal four-link design of this system helps eliminate wheel hop and keeps the tires planted to the asphalt where they belong. The base kit comes with plain links but, for a few bucks more, you can get them in chrome or polished versions.

First the main bracket was bolted in place using three existing factory bolt holes. This helped properly locate the bracket and hold it in place until fully secured.

Two areas needed to be clearanced (arrows) so there would be no interference with the system's fasteners. When both sides were in place, we took reference measurements (to the front subframe mounting holes) to make sure the brackets were in the same spot. This step was critical in making sure the system ended up square to the car.

After removing the rear seat and carpet we were ready to start drilling. Using a 5/16-inch bit we drilled holes through the floor using the bracket as a guide.

This part of the install was far easier with two people. With all the holes drilled we then moved to the interior and put in the reinforcement plate using the supplied fasteners. This sandwiched the Camaro's floor between the two steel plates, keeping everything secure.

Next, we used the supplied drill guide tool and a 3/8-inch bit to make the proper hole though the unibody.

With both brackets secured, it was time to install the shock crossmember between the framerails. It was a tight fit so we used a dead-blow hammer to persuade it into position.

The crossmember bracket was held in place using four factory holes (two on each side) and then the drill jig was used to drill through the factory framerails.

We bolted on the Panhard rod mount and torqued them down to TCI Engineering's specifications. There were also two fasteners that went up through the trunk floor and further secured the mount with another set of reinforcement plates.

With the crossmember support fully secured to the car, we could hang the four-links. The shorter bar went in the upper hole, and the longer bar went in the lower hole. Also, the adjuster side went toward the frame bracket.

With that done it was finally time to put the rearend in place. A transmission jack makes this much easier. Once up high enough, we attached the links to the brackets on the housing.

We lifted the rear into place and installed the coilover adjustable shocks. TCI Engineering also offers upgrades to double adjustable and even air spring systems.

The adjustable Panhard rod, also referred to as a track bar, was then put in place and secured. The Panhard rod's job is to keep the rearend centered under the car.

Lastly, the adjustable sway bar was installed and secured. The sway bar option runs $270, but it's worth every penny if you're looking to get the most performance out of this system.

With the rear suspension firmly in the "done" category, we installed TCI Engineering's optional subframe connectors ($179). These were designed to integrate into their subframe, but they offer ones that work with factory subframes as well.

TCI Engineering's subframe connectors also have mounts for their new crossbrace with driveshaft safety loop ($179).

Done! Installation took a full day and the only welding involved had to do with mounting the system's brackets to the 9-inch housing. Overall the installation was pretty painless and drama free.

TCI Engineering offers their four-link system for mini-tubbed and stock-tubbed rides, so be sure to specify which one you need when ordering. There are detailed instructions on their website explaining how to do the tubbing yourself using inner wheelhouses from Classic Industries.